Scammers send fake check to DA Early

PHOTO/ T&G Staff Photo/SCOTT CROTEAU

A black and white photocopy of the authentic-looking check sent to District Attorney Joseph Early. The check was on colored paper and even has watermarks. Once such a fake check is cashed, the scammers gain access to the bank account and drain the funds, Trooper Michael A. Leo said.

It's probably not the best idea to send a fraudulent check to an area's top law enforcement official. But then again, based on where the scam appears to have originated, the perpetrators aren't really concerned that Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. was the target.

A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Early was in his office and received a FedEx package listing his name and the exact address of his office. Inside the priority overnight stamped package was what appeared to be a legitimate check from Aetna Life Insurance Co. for $2,150.

Mr. Early wondered if his father, former U.S. Rep. Joseph D. Early, had a life insurance policy through the company. The senior Early passed away in November.

Mr. Early called the company and confirmed the check was a fake.

Mr. Early also happens to have a crew of state police investigators at the ready. He tapped financial investigators in his unit to follow up.

“There is some irony in it,” Mr. Early said about receiving the fake check. “Hopefully, we are protecting someone else from getting scammed.”

State police investigators called Aetna and learned that the check is part of a scam out of Nigeria.

Officials tracked the FedEx package to California. The scam artists apparently hacked into a Georgia Institute of Technology FedEx account to send the checks, said Trooper Michael A. Leo, an investigator for the state police detective unit assigned to Mr. Early's office.

Trooper Leo checked with Aetna. They told him the company has been tracking about $1 million worth of these types of phony checks throughout the United States. The U.S. Secret Service is now investigating.

“It looks very legit,” State Police Capt. Francis D. Leahy, head of Mr. Early's state police detectives, said about the check.

Once someone cashes the check, the scammers gain access to people's bank accounts and drain the funds, Trooper Leo said.

Mr. Early wondered if the scammers mined obituaries to find targets.

Capt. Leahy said people who receive a suspicious check can call their local police, state police or the U.S. Secret Service.

“Money does not fall out of the sky,” he said. “If it looks too good to be true, it is.”

Susan Millerick, a spokeswoman for Aetna, said from time to time Aetna's name has been used in these types of schemes. Other companies' names have also been dragged into these types of schemes, she said.

She recommended people not cash a check they deem suspicious and to call local law enforcement.